Barefoot'n

Ina Garten has become an icon in most home cooks’ kitchens. She has so many cookbooks that most of her recipes can be found on line now. I checked out two of her cookbooks from the county library and read Barefoot Contessa in Paris and How Easy is That? She makes cooking easy and does a pretty good job of explaining what to do. Barefoot’n with Ina was fun for me. I tried several recipes: Goat Cheese Tarts, Vegetable Tian, Panko Crusted Salmon, Roasted Vegetable Tort, Roasted Broccoli, Cauliflower Gratin AND intend to try her Grilled Clams, Onion and Fennel Soup, Plum Cake Tatin, Cous Cous with Toasted Pine Nuts, French Mussel Bisque and Potato Chips (if you are a potato chip addict too, haven’t you wondered about making it yourself?)

We started our Barefoot Contessa Dinner with the Goat Cheese Tarts (Back to Basics) that I made and really liked. Her recipe called for 6-inch puff pastry circles but I made small 3-inch circles that seemed more appealing as an appetizer and especially since we were having 6 courses this evening. I did not make my own puff pastry but used Pepperidge Farm. I’ve tried other brands from Whole Foods but couldn’t taste the difference. I’m sure it’s better if you make it yourself but on warm days, it’s a tough one to execute well without turning the air conditioner down to freezing. It has herbed goat cheese, caramelized garlic & onions, fresh tomato slices, thyme and basil, bound together with parmesan cheese. Very tasty and enhanced with Bill's Gloria Ferrer Brut from the Sonoma Carneros region.

Our next entré was prepared by Sandi W and was very rich and soothing as only a Shrimp Bisque Soup (Barefoot Contessa at Home) can. Sandi and Willie were celebrating a special event with lobster earlier in the week so she was able to use the shells to flavor the bisque stock, along with the shrimps and shells. Sandi’s dish was creamy, thick and very flavorful. You can see by the photo that it also has whole shrimps in it as well as the puréed meat. Bill found a Ridge Winery Chenin Blanc + Viognier blend that was a perfect choice to offset the richness of the soup.

We served the next two dishes at the same time, although on two separate plates. Mary re-joined us for this dinner since Annie & George couldn’t make it due to becoming grandparents at the last minute. Mary made a delicious Vegetable Tian (Barefoot in Paris). I had tried it in a mini-version but her’s was wa-ay better than the one I made. What’s amazing is that even though tomatoes are in season now, once you cook them the sugars caramelizes and sweetens them. The layers of squash, tomatoes, and onions, accented by Gruyer cheese and Thyme, are tough to beat in terms of complimentary flavors.

The main event of the evening was Sharon’s Boeuf Bourguignon (Barefoot in Paris). She said that the hardest part was trimming the beef chuck of all the silver membranes and fat. Ina directed her to cook the vegetables (onions and carrots) separately and then combine them at the end and to serve the bourguignon over a toasted slice of country bread that’s been seasoned with cut garlic. The country bread was too tough to slice easily and Sharon recommended using sour dough or Sweet Batard French bread next time instead. They soak up the liquids and are easier to slice through. As you can guess, it was delicious and very rich with a whole bottle of burgundy and ½ cup of cognac in it! Bill brought a 2001 Robert Young wine called “Scion” that is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, out of his cellar. This wine was absolutely delicious! Rich, fruity, well-balanced with great acid and low tannins after 11 years in our cellar. I wish we had more bottles of this wine. . .☹ He also served a 1990 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Estate with this course. A lesson in opposites but both great. The Mondavi was 22 years old and much more elegant and soft. It still had great fruit but more subdued than the Robert Young. We all enjoyed both wines with our main course.

We waited for a bit before eating Janis’ Salad with Warm Goat Cheese (Barefoot Contessa in Paris). It was a wonderful break between our rich bourguinon and dessert. The greens and dressing was bright and fresh and truly cleansed our palates. The goat cheese medallions were crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside. Sigh…how much better than this meal get? Much better! We topped this wonderful meal with a decadent dessert!

Willie prepared a Deeply Chocolate Gelato served with a huge Shortbread Cookie dusted with Turbinado Sugar crystals (Barefoot Contessa Parties!). If you love chocolate, this is the ice cream to make at home. I think Willie said it had 6 egg yolks in it and lots bittersweet chocolate. It was chocolate-y enough for Bill who usually complains that most chocolate ice creams are not. You can see from the photo that it is a very dark chocolate. I loved the shortbread cookie since I am not a chocoholic and would choose butter over chocolate any day. Buttery and prepared to perfection to the tastes of this cookie monster. I have to confess that I bought a wine for this dish that was a big mistake but I was curious enough to buy it to give it a try. We served a NV Deco Port made with the essences of natural chocolate from Santa Rosa. . . I think I was suckered into a marketing ploy. It was bad port to start with and the chocolate essences did nothing to cover the flaws in this wine. Sorry folks…a punt and miss.

We all drove away from Janis and Bill’s home full and contented, as we do every two months.

Our next dinner will be in July and I’ve sent out an email to select the exact date. It’s our “Retro Dinner” and we’ll be returning to Thomas Kellar’s Ad Hoc Cookbook. This book is my “go to” book for basic dishes. . .not that any of his dishes are basic but they are much easier to prepare than his French Laundry cookbook recipes. BTW, our Retro Dinner in 2013 will be from his French Laundry book.

Our annual field trip will be to Sonoma will be in early November, a 1-night, 2-day trip. I’ll be setting dates for that event soon and start working in an itinerary for your approval. We’ll set up a couple of winery visits with winemakers and a dinner in Healdsburg. If you have any suggestions, let me know. Stay tuned!

Hope you all enjoyed Barefoot’n as much as I did!